JP/Togean
JP/Togean
Saving the Togean islands from destructive fishing
Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya Contributor/Jakarta
The sea was calm, clear and without a single wave.
The exhausting journey from Ampana, 150 kilometers from Palu, Central Sulawesi, was immediately compensated for when we stepped from the boat into a remote village in the middle of Kabalutan island, one of hundreds in the Togean islands, situated in Tomini Bay, Palu.
We arrived at a simple, wooden, raised house. The palm-leaf- roofed house was constructed above the clear surface of the sea on high stilts.
The yards of Bajau people's houses were connected. We sometimes got confused over what were the front yards and what the backyards, because they joined one another.
The village has a population of 250 families, whose livelihoods depend on fishing. Kabalutan island is no more than three hectares in area. It is very hard to find fresh water there, which forces the inhabitants to find water on other islands.
The soil of Kabalutan island comprises sand with coral and is overgrown with moss; only one or two coconut trees can survive there.
Fishing is the main source of revenue for the village, which has a population of approximately 2000. Fish may be caught alive by diving, fishing or trawling in the deep sea.
However, due to the pressure of a consumptive economy and the desire to maximize their incomes, some fishermen also use destructive and non-environmentally friendly ways of catching fish, such as by bombing fish swimming in groups, or through the use of poison or potassium cyanide.
Cyanide fishing is used by fishermen to catch fish alive. This is triggered by the trade of napoleon and grouper fish, which must be caught alive and taken to fish collectors in Palu to be further exported to Hong Kong.
Such commercial business requires fishermen to catch fish by intoxicating them and subsequently reviving them. The drugs not only make the fish unconscious but also kill coral reefs around them.
Another discovery reveals that plankton -- microorganisms eaten by small fish -- are also affected by the drugs, which may have a widespread impact. "The impact may reach a radius of one kilometer," said Khairul Anwar, Marine Biologist of CI Indonesia during a field visit to Kabalutan Island at the end of last September.
The practices that badly damage the ecosystem have been used by fishermen in Kabalutan since 1980s. But lately, the people of Kabalutan have come to realize the difficulties in catching fish. Mahmud, 45, tried to describe the difficulties faced in catching fish since the increase in demand for napoleon and grouper fish exports.
According to Mahmud, 15 years ago he could catch 20 kg to 25 kg of fish every time he went to sea. "There used to be a good catch, but now it is no longer adequate, not even sufficient for covering the costs," said the fisherman, who is also a teacher at Al-Khairat Islamic School.
He said that he used to go to sea only once a week, and spent the rest of the week teaching. His income from fishing was a lot more than the salary of a III C-class civil servant (on average Rp 1.2 million per month).
Now, he has to go to sea every night to meet his necessities. "We cannot even catch sea cucumbers, let alone fish."
Guru Mahmud is a fisherman who has dedicated his life to teaching religion to his students. There are 100 students in his dirt-floored and palm-leaf-roofed school.
Far from his expectations, people are no longer able to pay the voluntary donation for the teacher of Rp. 1,000 a month.
"I don't mind if they cannot pay, as long as I can still go to sea," Guru Mahmud said. The agreement is that the teacher must go to sea every night and the students get their lessons in the afternoon. Most of his time is spent on meeting his daily needs, while his catch diminishes continuously.
He is thankful that people has started to be aware of the need to avoid the use of destructive fishing methods. Fishermen in several villages have started to make efforts to save the Togean islands. "If we cannot overcome the problems, our future generations will suffer more. Where would they go to find fish?" Mahmud said, in serious tones.
A number of fishermen have established associations to curtail destructive fishing. The initiative was started by the establishment of a Marine Conservation Area (DPL) by the people, independently. Its management, as well as sanctions for violations, are provided for in village regulations (PERDES).
The DPL is a form of public participation forum for curtailing destructive fishing. In addition to Kabalutan, there are two other villages that have a similar initiative, namely Lembanato and Matobiyai, which have established a DPL in Kilat Bay.
"We hope that such community efforts will become an embryo of a conservation area with wider coverage," said Christoverius Hutabarat, M.Si., program manager of Conservation International Indonesia (CII) in Palu.
Such a reaction is the result of hard work for years after a long process of raising awareness. CII has been working on community strengthening and has initiated awareness-raising for several of its seven years working in the area.
To confirm his standpoint, Guru Mahmud explained that religions prohibit human behavior that has a destructive impact on either the land or the sea, while quoting a verse from the Koran.
Therefore, fishing using bombs and drugs, in his opinion, was not barakah (beneficial). "Up to now, I have been simply a regular line fisherman; I do not use bombs. I now have enough food to survive. They take risks though; some of them were hit by a bomb blast!"
Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya is an environmental journalist with Conservation International Indonesia. He can be contacted at fmangunjaya@conservation.org